Groundworker Andrew Jones was found asleep behind the wheel after he turned on the engine to keep him warm.

The 29-year-old had been out drinking in Tunstall and Burslem before returning to his friend’s flat.

But North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard his friend was not at home so the defendant decided to sleep in his van. And because he was cold he started the engine to keep him warm.

Police were called and they knocked on his van and woke him up at 4.25am on August 5. He provided a positive roadside sample. He was breathalysed at the police station and gave a reading of 51 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, against the legal limit of 35.

Jones, of Midhurst Close, Packmoor, pleaded guilty to being in charge of a vehicle with an alcohol level above the limit.